Dear Family,
Jai Shri Mataji!
Today is the anniversary of the passing of Shri Mataji’s husband, Sir CP Shrivastava.
HH Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi and Sir CP.
Sir CP led an honest and ethical life with total dedication to his responsibilities serving Mother India and the International Maritime Organisation of the United Nations. Throughout his career he was regularly recognised for his outstanding achievements.
When asked by a journalist about being so highly decorated and yet sincere, he said “My life has been greatly influenced by my wife,, now known globally as Mataji Nirmala Devi, the founder of Sahaja Yoga. Her vision of one Almighty God and one human family has motivated me in all aspects of my life.” He also said ” I also practice Sahaja Yoga meditation that my wife Nirmala founded., This is a meditation which changes people from the core.”
Today we pause to recognise the inspiring life of Sir CP. We thank Shri Mataji for showing us his life of sincere and ethical dedication and achievement both in service to his country and to Sahaja Yoga.
Here is an extract of a Talk by Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi talking to Sahaja Yogis about Sir CP after a reception for him on 4th January 1980:
“Today, I am very happy that you are honoring him”
“It is very embarrassing in this way to speak about Mr. Srivastava. Today, I am very happy that you are honoring him because if he was not supporting me I could not have done anything. Apart, from that, as he said about values, I have yet to come across a person who has values as Mr. Srivastava himself has. The difference is that you can imbibe values after Self-Realization very easily, but even before Self-Realization he has them. He is a very honest man. He bought ships worth crores and crores of rupees and never he thought of any kind of dishonesty and he is a man of great discipline. I think what we lack is discipline.
As it is, the countries which are disciplined have themselves grown very much and helped others to grow. But if Sahaja Yogis do not have discipline of Sahaja Yoga, then Sahaja Yoga will be like any other nonsensical institution Mr. Srivastava’s discipline is so great that I do not know how he manages it. For example, for time, he is so particular, so also for consideration of others, for attending to his work, to see the people who come to see him. to see what he has to say, how far to say, what to say at the right time. There is so much Sahaja in him, so much inborn in him that at the right time, he will say the right thing.
And above all the brilliance, he has, so much that he comes to the right conclusion immediately. He was not a realised soul, now I think he has touched the Sahastrar. But even before this, he would reach the right conclusion. As you have seen about Sahaja Yoga also, he has taken a right attitude. To take the right attitude is only possible, if you are really intelligent otherwise, those who are not, cannot.
Pure intelligence means that there is no bias of ego or super-ego, no conditioning and you could see it in its pure form. You can see that he has allowed me to work. To accept that I should do all this work is in itself a very big sacrifice for a man. None of you would allow your wife to leave you for 3 months. It is a great sacrifice but because he has seen that this is the way, he not only allows me, but you know how generous he is about everything. We see things and even understand rationally that this is good, still they are not identified with ourselves. While I see in him, his own discipline; when he rationally accepts something or thinks that it is correct then he just does it. This is something which you have to learn from someone who has done this all his life.
I used to be amazed, as to how he used to identify! There is so much integration in his actions and his understanding. This is something which really surprises me, because after realization after great Tapasya, one can achieve such a integration. We say one thing and do another, like so many people who criticise this, criticise that but when it comes to them, they will do themselves the same. If he has risen high; many people say that it is Mataji’s blessings even if it is partly that; still I would say that anyone like him would rise, specially in a country like ours, where people see the honestly and integrity and high moral character as something special.
Since I have come to India this time, he has been honoured by so many institutions and so many people that I was amazed, how much he is respected. After all, he is like any other bureaucrat, otherwise but the way he is identified with the ideals. He is a man of ideals.”
Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi talking to Sahaja Yogis about Sir CP after a reception for him on 4th January 1980.
Love,
Andre and Lyn